In the medical field it is often necessary to insert a needle into a patient's body to withdraw materials from, or deliver materials to, the patient's body. After the needle is withdrawn from the patient's body, it will be contaminated with biological fluids. Specifically, an exposed, contaminated needle can easily pierce the skin of medical personnel or other patients, thereby providing a route for spread of disease. The threat of needle prick injuries is especially dangerous in light of diseases that can be transferred through the exchange of bodily fluids, such as hepatitis and the human immunodeficiency virus. An exposed, contaminated needle presents a safety hazard to all people having to handle the needle and its disposal, such as medical personnel and janitorial staff. In addition, if an exposed, contaminated needle contacts other items, such as work surfaces, clothing or other medical instruments, such other items can also be contaminated with biological fluids. Thus, there is a need for a system that reduces the likelihood of contamination between used needles and other objects and/or people.
To address this need, various disposal systems for used needles have been developed. Such systems often require medical personnel to place a used needle in a container specifically adapted to hold used needles. In particular, such containers usually are made from a material that is resistant to puncture by the exposed needle, and usually feature a needle insertion mechanism that prevents inserted needles from later being removed, even if the container is upset or dropped. However, such designs suffer from numerous disadvantages. For example, such containers still require an exposed, contaminated needle to be transported from the patient to the disposal container. In addition, such containers are often large and bulky, and thus consume valuable space in medical facilities. Furthermore, such disposal containers are not useful if a needle must be used in a location where such a disposal container is not present, such as may be necessary in a medical emergency.